Plymouth, MA Jury Awards $63 Million to Family for Child’s Severe Reaction to Children’s Motrin

What happened:

A Plymouth, Massachusetts family has been awarded $63 million after their 7-year old daughter suffered a severe allergic reaction 10 years ago to Children’s Motrin, a version of ibuprofen made by Johnson & Johnson.

Samantha Reckis was given the popular medication to help bring down a fever. Instead, she had a severe reaction to the drug, with symptoms that included blisters and fatigue. Within a few days, she was diagnosed with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

The condition is a serious reaction to ibuprofen. Hundreds of people in the U.S. develop the reaction each year. In an interview with the Boston Globe, one attorney described the reaction as “. . . like having your skin burned off of you. Imagine your worst sunburn times 1,000. It’s an absolutely devastating condition.”

One-third of those who develop the condition die, and many others are left blinded or with other serious conditions. Samantha was left legally blind and cannot walk more than 150 yards without becoming exhausted.

The Virginia Injury Lawyer Perspective:

The jury in this case found that Johnson & Johnson, and the division that makes the medicine, McNeil Consumer & Speciality Pharmaceuticals, failed to warn consumers of potential side effects of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis on the packages of Motrin, so they could stop taking the drug at the first sign of any symptoms.

This is the third time a jury has found the company liable. A California court awarded a $48 million judgment in Los Angeles in September 2011 and a Philadelphia court awarded a $10 million judgment in July 2011.